A Moment Captured
by Worsened
Summary: Short drabbles of love, friendship, hurt, comfort, romance, memories, and angst from the Leaf, Sand, Sound, and Akatsuki.
1. Coffee Shop Kindess

**Names, ages, roles, times, places will be tweaked in some stories.**

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><p><em>If you can't return a favor, pass it on.<em>

-Louise Brown

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><p>It was a miserable snowy day when one of Kisame's regulars walked in, looking rather depressed and defeated. Attempting to stir up friendly conversation, Kisame and his coworker, Deidara, asked if everything was going alright. The dark haired man refused to reveal any details, simply shaking his head and looking away pointedly. He only said he wished he could crawl into a dark hole and stay there a few years. Kisame knew that feeling all too well, offering a sympathetic smile.<p>

Before the man left, Kisame handed him a bag along with his coffee. Confused, the man pointed out he hadn't ordered anything but his usual coffee. He opened the bag to find his favorite donut inside.

"It's on me," smiled Kisame. "Have a nice day."

The man returned the smile before thanking him and left.

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><p>The next day was just as miserable; the snow storm outside was taking a turn for the worse. Nearly everyone was using the drive through window, no one wanted to step outside in the cold, disgusting weather.<p>

Kisame spent his afternoon hanging out by the window, listening to customers complain about the weather. He found it increasingly difficult to smile as they sat in their warm dry cars while he whipped up their orders with a completely soaked shirt. His visor was dripping with tiny droplets of water from the snow and he was constantly being blasted with sharp bursts of cold air. The empty tip jars or the fact that Deidara was on kitchen duty wasn't helping the matters one bit.

Around seven that evening, while in the middle of making another pot of vanilla hazelnut decaf, the same customer from yesterday pulled up. Instead of ordering anything, he simply handed Kisame a single pink rose and a small note. He said that not too many people took the time to think about others, and that he was glad there were people like Kisame in the world.

Kisame was speechless, and deeply touched. He'd completely forgotten about yesterday's deed. Taking a moment for it to soak in, he thanked the customer, a smile tugging on his lips.

Calling for Deidara to switch shifts for a few minutes, Kisame leaned over the counter, reading the note softly.

_"Kisame,_

_Thank you for being so kind and considerate yesterday. I was sincerely moved by your simple actions. It was comforting to know that there are genuinely nice and thoughtful people out there. Please don't change your ways, because I truly believe you will excel._

_-Itachi."_

"What's that from, un?" Deidara asked, eying the pink rose.

"Just a regular…"

As the day passed, Kisame kept the though of Itachi and his letter in mind. For each and every person, he would hold his head high, smile brightly, and politely ask, "How can I help you?"


	2. Gift of Love

_The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance._

-Brian Tracy

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><p>"Today," announced Hiruzen Sarutobi. "We have arrived in Konoha's orphanage. We have come here to change Konoha, but instead Konoha will change us."<p>

Several people looked around, muttering words to each other, unsure of what to say. The chuunin we surprised, some were annoyed even. When the Third had said they were going on a long group mission, this was not what they had in mind. Iruka Umino looked around, many were disappointed, they had not wanted this. Choosing to ignore their sore attitude, he listened on closely as to what the Third was saying.

Iruka remembered the ride there had been uncomfortable and how little sleep he had received. But now, seeing as the orphanage came into view as they walked closer, he felt all those feelings melt away. Young children ran up to the gates, eager faces all around. They were smiling, laughing, and jumping around. Iruka spotted a small redheaded girl with a huge smile on her face. He bent down and ruffled her hair, returning the welcoming smile. He noted how happy the children seemed; they were not complaining about their lives or living conditions. They seemed content.

Inside, Iruka met a little boy named Naruto. His golden hair shone as Iruka picked him up and swung him around. Naruto let out peals of laughter, the smile never once leaving his face. Everyday since he arrived, Naruto would always run up to him and kiss both his cheeks. Iruka found himself looking forward to it.

The entire time he was there, Iruka could only think, _who would give such a wonderful child up?_ He watched how the other children behaved; they did not fight over the toys they received. Rather, they shared them because they wanted everyone to experience the joy of new toys.

On the last day, the kids were singing songs to the chuunin. The lady in charge announced that one of the children wanted to share his story with everyone. To Iruka's amazement, it was Naruto who went up to speak.

"I am so happy to be here in the orphanage."

_Happy?_ Iruka thought dully, _Who would be happy in an orphanage?_

"When I was in my house," he continued, "my parents used to hit me and throw things at me."

When he was done, Iruka ran over and hugged him tightly, telling him how proud he was. He looked down and saw those scars on either side of his cheeks, finally understanding where Naruto had gotten them.

On the day they left, nearly everyone was crying. Kotetsu was sobbing, holding the redheaded girl from the first day tightly. Izumo was less sentimental, hi-fiving a dark haired boy and promising to come back. Iruka held onto Naruto for ten minutes, too frightened to set him down. He kissed Naruto's scars, hoping to erase the child's horrific memories. He told him he loved him, and Naruto stopped crying and smiled. As goodbyes were over, the children waved through the gates.

When Iruka came home, he looked around his room. As he unpacked, he looked though all the clothes hanging on multicolored hangers. Visions of Naruto's closet with two shirts flashed into his mind. Naruto had tried to give him one of his stuffed animals in return for his friendship, but Iruka had refused. He said he didn't need one. Naruto said he didn't need one either, because he had two. Naruto was only seven, and it would take Iruka a long time to learn what Naruto already knew.


	3. Saying Sorry

_An apology? Bah! Disgusting! Cowardly! Beneath the dignity of any gentleman, however wrong he might be._

-Steve Martin

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><p>"Why won't you admit it?"<p>

"Because I don't feel that way. Now stop it, Hidan. You're acting like a child."

"You're such a fucking prick, you know that? You're telling me all those months we spent together meant nothing to you? Fucking really? I thought what we had was special, I really fucking thought you meant it."

"Shut up, Hidan."

With that Kakuzu turned away stiffly, refusing to look at Hidan.

"You're a fucking jerk, seriously. I'm fucking leaving."

As soon as those words left his lips, Hidan left, slamming the door angrily and cursing under his breath.

"Good riddance," breathed Kakuzu, pinching he bridge of his nose. It wasn't his fault, he mentally told himself, not really. Hidan was just acting like a stubborn child. A gullible one, at that.

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><p>A year rolled before Kakuzu began regretting his words. He realized the true consequence of his actions. He hadn't meant those words when they had that argument, not really. He was angry, acting extremely irrational. Being himself, he could never admit he was wrong, not even to Hidan.<p>

He had spent endless nights rolling around, thoughts of Hidan splayed in his head. He wanted to apologize, letting Hidan know how truly sorry he was.

One night, Kakuzu finally managed to call Hidan, ready to apologize for his hasty remarks. However, there was no answer, only the automated machine. He tried several more times before resigning for the night and leaving a single message to be called back.

Two weeks later, Kakuzu received a phone call from Hidan's roommate, Sasori, stating that Hidan had died in a car crash the night he attempted to apologize. He had died without knowing how sorry Kakuzu was. He died a night too soon.


	4. Loving Yourself First

_You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection._

__- Buddha

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><p>On the morning of February 14th, everyone in homeroom was tense. This was an annual event, people bought each other flowers and during the morning, you received them. Maybe it was from your lover, or perhaps a secret crush. Nonetheless, love was in the air.<p>

Gaara sunk low into his seat. There was way too much noise in homeroom. Girls were squealing, fantasizing who would give them flowers and boys were trying to act aloof and uncaring.

"I gave Sasuke a whole bouquet!"

"Shut up, I gave him two bouquets!"

"…Naruto likes carnations, right?"

"I hope Neji likes daffodils…I sent him a couple…"

Not long after the bell rang, Ino walked into the classroom. In her hands held a massive display of decorative flowers of all sorts. Smiling brightly, she handed Mr. Hatake bouquet, which he took graciously. He was glad to have a distraction instead of taking attendance.

He took a few moments to distribute the flowers, then began announcing names.

"Sasuke…Naruto…Shino…Neji…Sakura…Hinata…" the list went on for a good ten minutes. Flowers were sprouting on every desk around Gaara. Some people received two or three. Sasuke managed to score a good two dozen.

As the list neared the end, Gaara noticed there were several students who had received none. They had no cards, no flowers on their desks. There were only three more left. The remaining people bit their lips, silently wishing that it would go to them. They fidgeted in their seats, fingers tapping impatiently. Gaara, however, remained still.

"Two more for Sasuke…and, ah, one for Gaara."

Ignoring the sighs around him, Gaara remained impassive and quietly retrieved his flower. He had a pretty good idea who had sent him it. He glanced down and silently confirmed his suspicions. It wasn't from Kankuro, it wasn't from Temari, and it sure wasn't from any girl in his grade. The card simply read, "Happy Valentine's Day - Love, Gaara."

"Who's that from, Gaara?" Naruto asked, sprouting quite a few carnations and daffodils.

"It's…from someone very special to me."

Naruto didn't know. He didn't need to know.


End file.
